Two Shades of White
by eyeshadowlady
Summary: Ichigo cannot resurrect the dead. Now, Rukia's lifeless body slung over his shoulder, will he be able to find the one person who can? Or will Ichigo risk his own life in the process? IchiHollow to come. No romance. Now facing... Ulquoirra! R
1. Chapter One: Discovery

**Disclaimer: Bleach owns. However, I do not own Bleach. In addition, I do not own any Bleach characters, Bleach songs, or even Bleach the cleaning product. Here is where the confusion lies. **

**Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite. Were it not for his existence, our lives might be slightly less pathetic (having some time freed up away from Bleach-obsession). He slaves over the series so that we have something to wank over.**

Brief Description: Ichigo stumbles upon Rukia's lifeless body. But there is only one person who can save her. But will Ichigo risk his own life in the process?

Chapter One:

Discovery

I wonder what my friends are doing right now. Are they sprinting down endless hallways, making their way past a multitude of doors; unsure that the one they just passed was indeed not the direction of their intended destination? I bet they think I'm on some romantic get-away vacation; drinking fancy cocktails on some private beach somewhere with some mysterious lover. I bet they think I'm having the time of my life right now.

Ah, yes; a vacation indeed! "Come to Hueco Mundo! Take a stroll through dimly-lit corridors and experience bliss for the first time! But beware of the espada, who frequently rove these halls, eager to dissect any newcomers like a frog. Your vacation may quickly come to its end!"

Panting as I made my way through dimly-lit corridors, I paused. I sensed Rukia's reiatsu nearby, though weakened either by distance or, more likely, a fatal wound. Large doors loomed beside me, these of a slightly different stature than the last, enticing me to enter. I felt Rukia's reiatsu, stronger now, though fading at a rapid rate. Fear had me in a chokehold. I could feel my heart pounding, becoming more violent with each step forward.

Breathing heavily, I shoved the door open in one thrust; my heart pounding faster, more intensely, as the ominous feeling grew stronger. The faint light spilling into the dark palace extended itself as the door widened; the center of which, to my horror, laid Rukia's lifeless body. Her maimed body appeared before me like some gruesome work of art; a centerpiece that seemed not in the least bit out-of-place in this sinister and unpredictable world.

When I finally approached Rukia, she was on her last few breaths. She appeared to me like a Rukia shishkabob, her torso being maimed by the zanpakutu of some unfamiliar espada. Upon being maimed, it appeared she'd simultaneously determined that her assassin would face the same fate as his victim. That sounded like something Rukia would do; stubbornly unable to surrender to death until she finished a battle herself. Between her and her opponent, she would not be the first to die. If she couldn't save Inoue herself, she would at least prevent one more arrancar from standing in the way.

Looking to her motionless body, I wondered: _Was I… too late?_ I kneeled down before Rukia's mutilated body, fighting back the tears that were forcing their way to the surface. If Rukia was still alive, would she really want to see me in such a pathetic display? Still, there was nothing I could do to hide the trembling of my hand as I reached to check her pulse. The fear consumed me, knowing that, even if she were alive, there was nothing I could do to keep her that way. I am not Inoue. I cannot heal. I cannot take back what has been done. I haven't even defeated one espada, and here Rukia gave her life in order to do so.

There was still a pulse. Still only a flicker of her reiatsu. Unexpectedly, I felt Rukia's hand grasp my wrist; my hand still kept firmly in place, hoping for some sudden burst of spiritual energy to arise. Her eyes parted slightly, fixated on me as though trying to reassure me that she'd be okay. "Arigato… Ichigo…" She closed her eyes for the last time. "Save Inoue for me."

With those words, I sensed her reiatsu completely dissipate and her soul seemed to pass through me; into me. She became a part of me. I stared at her lifeless body in disbelief. Is this really where it ends, Rukia? After all we've been through together, are you really going to leave me like this?!

My eyes downcast, completely shaded by crazed bangs, I let my first tear fall for my departed comrade. "This can't be how it ends!" I screamed, my voice echoing between the high walls of the empty palace. "You were supposed to be so much more!"

Rising to my feet, I made my resolve, squishing my brows together even more than usual. "Nell, I'm going to have to ask you to walk beside me from now on. Do you think you can do that?" The strange arrancar child who'd been hitching a ride on the Ichigo taxi peeked from behind a large pillar, where she'd been hiding in horror from the sight upon entering.

"Ith Ichigo's friend dead?" Nell, still terrified, dared to ask; the answer being quite obvious.

"Yes," I responded solemnly, unable to meet the child's gaze. "I don't know if you can resurrect the dead, but I do know that, if anyone could, it'd be Inoue." _That is, assuming I can save her, _I thought to myself.

Could Inoue really heal wounds this extensive? Not just wounds, but… death? Could she overwrite God's divine plan? And if her powers had really developed that much, how much more dangerous would she be by Aizen's side?

I cringed as I lifted Rukia's corpse from the espada's zanpakutu. "It's a good thing you only weigh, like, fifty pounds," I remarked, laughing nervously in an attempt to make light of the situation. With each centimeter she rose along the ridiculously oversized zanpakutu (though I'm not one to talk), the sound of flesh spilling tempted me to vomit. Resisting the urge, I continued to lift her deceased body above the zanpakutu, ignoring the blood that trickled down my cheeks and seeped into my clothing. At last, the forked tip finally released its grip on Rukia's abdomen! Letting out a short-lived sigh of relief, I paused before making my last elevation. I let out a huge grunt as I heaved her body, which now felt like slightly more than 50 pounds, onto my shoulders.

"I won't leave my comrade behind. We decided to fight side-by-side, and I will not abandon her now." I glanced at Nell, crouched in the corner. "Are you ready?" She nodded, rising to her feet in preparation. "Let's go."

With Rukia's comatose body hunched over my shoulder, I made my way down the dismal hallways; hoping, by heading the same direction I'd come from, that I was not going to suffer the same fate as my fallen comrade. Hoping that, despite my injuries and exhausted energy, I would be able to squeeze out any last bit of power I could in order to reach Inoue.

"I will not let your death be for nothing… Rukia." I grasped her childlike body just a little tighter as I vowed to at least do this much.

Would Ulquoirra be waiting for me ahead? Or someone new? Would I be able to defeat anyone in my current condition? I didn't know. But I had to try, for Rukia.


	2. Chapter Two: Labyrinth

**Disclaimer: Yup… still don't own Bleach. Nor do I own the movie "Labyrinth" or even "Pan's Labyrinth"; nor—and I cringe as I say this—do I own David Bowie.**

Brief Description: Ichigo makes his way (hopefully) toward Inoue. But is he really prepared for what he's about to face?

Chapter Two:

Labyrinth

I'd been heading the direction I'd just come from, but the labyrinth seemed different somehow. It was as if someone had been shifting walls, manipulating me like puppet master; choosing my destination for me. Could it be that bastard, Aizen? No; he wouldn't go through so much trouble just to toy with me and let me run amuck. I get the feeling that Aizen takes more of a "hands off" approach, leaving it to his subordinates to carry out his dirty work.

All I had to do was look for Ulquoirra's headquarters. If I could locate Ulquoirra, I was certain I would somehow find Inoue. _Just look for the open door,_ I told myself. I could recall the exact shape and size, the layout of the hall it was held within… if I could just find that damn hall within this maze!

"Stop, Nell." I came to a sudden halt, catching my new companion off guard.

"What ith it?" inquired the curious child, exhausted from trying to keep up with me despite my attempts to keep pace.

Taking a closer look at my surroundings, I was sure of it. The hallway was different, but the door… every scratch and indentation was identical to the one from before. "This is it."

Cautiously, I crossed the threshold, awaiting any sudden appearances. An eerie silence followed me as I sauntered through the palace, daring myself to proceed to the stairs where I'd previously been confronted by Ulquoirra. Much to my surprise, there was no figure standing at the top of the stairway. There were no shadows looming in the doorway. There was nothing but eerie silence.

The stairs were longer than I'd first imagined them to be. With each menacing step forward, it seemed as though the distance to the door became further and further away. Slowly, warily, I made my way up the stairs; Rukia's corpse slung over my shoulder like a rag doll. Nell dragged not too far behind, keeping a safe distance in case a disturbance were to occur.

Was I really at the top of the staircase already? I couldn't even recall those last few stairs being climbed; perhaps too lost in thought; perhaps too focused on keeping Rukia's body from slipping. I could not afford to be clumsy.

There was a brighter glow illuminating from behind the doorway; almost blinding compared to the murkiness of the hallways I was used to patrolling. I'd quickly become aware that bright light in this place was foreboding; a sign of some obstacle or threat to come. Cringing as I neared the entryway, I took that critical step into enemy territory; awaiting the worst.

There was no voice. There were no shadowy figures. A calm hush echoed through yet another hallway. It couldn't possibly be this easy.

Keeping my right hand hovered above the hilt protruding from my hip, I refused to let an apparent absence of danger give me too much reprieve. This was not a time to make haste. Small doorways lined the walls surrounding me, each separated spaciously by what seemed like brilliantly lit lanterns. At a sharp fork at the end of the hallway, a dim light projected from beneath a doorway. Inoue's presence… I could feel it!

Walking steadily toward my target, Nell now back at my side, I was filled with, perhaps, too much hope, as it could prove distracting. _Stay focused_, I reminded myself. _She's sure to be guarded. _

At the forked end of the hall, the coast was clear. No signs of movement; I seemed to be undetected. The room was only two feet to my left. _Maybe I should have planned out an elaborate arrival ahead of time, _I thought. Taking in a deep breath and unsheathing my zanpakutu (pretty difficult to do one-handed; I have to give credit to Grimmjow for battling in such a condition), I motioned to the door.

"K…Kurosaki…kun?"

Inoue's bruised and swollen eyes widened in horror, her pupils contracting and frozen on my figure, as though she was seeing a ghost. Soon I realized it was not a ghost-like individual she couldn't take her eyes off of; it was the sight of Rukia's corpse dangling over my shoulder.

"Inoue!" I shouted, relieved to have reunited with my former comrade. Inspecting her more closely, it appeared that she'd been badly beaten herself. Her eyes revealed excruciating pain; black and blue, the kind of look I wasn't used to seeing from Shinigami or Hollow, but more closely resembling the hands-on approach of a high school bully. Her white gown was stained with stale blood, covering her from head to toe. Her… white… gown…

"Kurosaki-kun! Run!" Inoue urged desperately, knowing full well that I was not about to heed her advice.

A figure emerged from beside her, marching toward me while staring me down like a predator eyeing its prey. Ulquoirra.

Stay Tuned: Ichigo vs. Ulquoirra. Will Ichigo once again face defeat? Will he come out the victor? Coming… eventually : )


	3. Chapter Three: Assumptions

**Disclaimer: Yeah… pretty sure I still don't own anything.**

Brief Description: Ichigo prepares to battle Ulquoirra; but he knows, at best, he can only last eleven seconds in hollow form. With the lives of two beautiful women on the line, will he be able to defeat Ulquoirra this time?

Chapter Three:

Assumptions

"Ulquoirra, you did this to her, didn't you!!!" I accused, fuming in a vengeful rage, noting how composed Inoue seemed to be despite all the torment he'd put her through.

Inching forward, his eyes still fixated on me as I panted in fury; he remained unaffected, simply pointing at the deceased Shinigami on my shoulder. "I suppose the same way you did that to your friend there?"

"Why you—" I started, but was interrupted with one swift, unexpected move on Ulquoirra's part. His zanpakutu was at my throat in an instant, leaving me no time in my current condition to defend. "Sorry…Rukia." I dropped her body as gently as I could; not wanting, out of respect, to get her caught up in the crossfire.

Ulquoirra smirked a bit, keeping his hold on my throat but not putting any added pressure on it, either. "I told you, if you had any energy left, to leave Hueco Mundo. Knowing you could never defeat me; knowing some, if not all, of your friends were fated to die here anyway; you had the nerve to return here? What's worse, you bring your trash with you?" he sneered, making reference to the lifeless form of Rukia huddled on the floor. "You aren't even worthy of a REAL fight."

"Well that's too bad, because I sort of had something else in mind," I retorted, gathering strength and collecting all the spiritual energy I could muster. Don't blow this, Ichigo. "Ban…kai!"

A dramatic climb in my reiatsu surged through me and the atmosphere surrounding me. For a few moments, I lost any sense of gravity or the basic principles of science in the human world. This wasn't the human world, after all… Hueco Mundo was a world all its own, with physical laws all its own. Even so, my spiritual energy seemed to gather together the same way in this world as in the other; perhaps, though, with greater force than what I was used to in the human world (this may simply have been due to my own increased strength upon journeying to Hueco Mundo). The surge pushed Ulquoirra back, just slightly, but enough to remove his zanpakutu's grip on my jugular. All that remained of his advance was a sharp scratch; a mere superficial wound.

"What is this increased power? He's still not done transforming?" Ulquoirra's expression changed to that of augmented curiosity. After all, it was my potential he had originally feared; his disappointment in my earlier performance was merely due to my having not reached that potential.

He was right. My Bankai transformation was still not complete, and I'd already surpassed my usual power max some time ago. No, that wasn't it. My Bankai was complete, but my reiatsu was… still rising! One last surge of spiritual energy and my body's absorption was complete. The swirls of dirt and debris gathered around me dispersed, allowing Ulquoirra to witness my completed Bankai at last.

All my injuries from the fight before, my drained energy… it all subsided! I felt as though I could rise from any pain inflicted upon me. I really didn't believe there was any way that asshole could beat me this time.

Standing upright, my zanpakutu now appearing more as a regular katana than the usual mass I hauled around in my normal phase, I faced the enemy with a stern confidence. Taking on old man Zangetsu's appearance, the tattered edges of his black kimono waving in the wind's current, I felt his reassurance once again. _Old man Zangetsu… all this time, and have I really gotten to know you any better?_ Regrettably, I use his power without staying true to my word. _I will learn all about you, just as soon as I get out of here._

_I'm going to have to ask you to lend me your powers._

_**Remember, King: Don't fail. If you do, your reign in this world will become… obsolete!**_

My eyes began to cloud over and I put my full concentration on pulling out my mask. The image of hollowification was always one which struck the witness with awe and disbelief. "Don't worry, this will be over in a few seconds."

"Sort of like it was last time?" Ulquoirra mocked, unreceptive to my warning.

Grinning, though I suppose the hollow mask shielding my face always had some sadistic, over-sized grin (I wouldn't know; it's not like I look in the mirror and comb my hair in hollow form or brush my hollow teeth), I responded by lifting my sword above my head and pouring all of my reiatsu into one attack: the only one I knew.

"Getsuga… Tenshou!"

And with that, I swung at my opponent at full-force. With only seconds to spare before my mask was sure to shatter, I had to kill him with this one attack. Pouring all my reiatsu into this one blow… would it really be enough to cripple him?

With one quick move of his wrist, Ulquoirra attempted to block my attack; astounded with the dramatic hike in spirit power impending toward him at an unexpected rate. Was it possible that he underestimated me? I wondered, in the next few moments as the air swirled around the two of us, if I could afford to underestimate him.

I eyed Inoue in the corner of my vision, who sat motionless, her eyes still downcast, on the couch nearby. _Are you even on our side anymore, Inoue?_ Rukia's corpse lay, facedown on the ground, still skewered and unmoving. A dreadful feeling crept upon me. Did Inoue even want to be saved? Could she revive Rukia at this point, and, if she could, was she rejecting the opportunity now out of fear or… choice?

I didn't have the time to mull over these fears. Shards of my mask shattered, crumbled, and disintegrated within seconds of its original appearance. I became overwhelmed with exhaustion, having been drained of a substantial amount of spiritual energy. Fragments of dust and shreds of clothing encircled Ulquoirra, still standing ahead of me. I had felt it strike. But where was the abrasion?

"You've improved," remarked a poised Ulquoirra, stepping forward and into my line of vision. "But, I'm afraid, you haven't progressed far enough. This is where your journey ends… Boy."


End file.
